Five Cigarettes Later
'Five Cigarettes Later '''is the first part of the Emndo series, taking place around a year after ''Mask of Miracle on an AU storyline. The story is a collaboration between Chrononaut and SophiaDescole13, and was originally written in the form of role play. Chapter 1 Work was another mediocre chore for Emmy Altava nowadays, searching through essays and photos was nothing but dull to her. Being an assistant was something she had done for a while now but as ever her work was hindered by the teacher's absence. The only relief she got was taking the slow walk home to her apartment. In the old days she would have driven but she'd abandoned her moped long ago in favour of something a little more powerful, but that would have to wait until her next pay now, she was walking along the streets of London on a clear and starry night. The air was cool and refreshing compared to her that of stuffy office, which was partly why she enjoyed taking the walk so much. No matter how nice it was, it was not enough to stop her letting out a large yawn. I'm barely awake, I haven't had my caffeine fix at all today...however...I see somewhere that may help, she thought as something caught her the street from where she was stood, there was a small café shining like a little beacon of hope as the aroma of coffee wafted towards Emmy. She checked her watch before she found herself lured across the road. It was a quiet little place, she noted upon entering the little shop. The dull hum of hushed conversations barely broke the silence and she could see that there weren't many people there. I'm surprised such a place exists. I thought most cafes and coffee shops closed at five, she thought as she looked at the menu. The cafe served the usual sort of drinks, coffee, espresso, various teas. Emmy was tempted to order something before her eyes drifted around the café itself whilst she was thinking and towards an attractive man sat at a table with his feet up. His skin was tanned enough to make Emmy second guess if that was his natural pigment until she noticed the lovely contrast it provided from his wild red hair. She noticed as well that he was drinking a coffee as his dark eyes were scanning a newspaper. Hmm, a nice sight to see! Very attractive...although he seems familiar...but why do I recognise him…? Emmy thought. She didn't want to stare so she looked over the menu again but her mind was still on the attractive redhead and before long her eyes pulled themselves back towards him. I feel like I should know who he is...or like I want to know who he is...Thankfully for Emmy, he paid her no heed as her eyes drifted over his dark skin once again. He was a very unusual looking man with his fiery hair and bronzed skin so Emmy wondered how on earth she would be able to forget him (if her suspicion that she knew him turned out to be true). Unable to walk away from something that intrigued her so much, curiosity got the better of Emmy and she could not resist but to go over to where he was sat. Walking over to his table, she stood by his side and spoke to him. "Forgive me if I seem rude, but do I happen to know you? You seem very familiar"The redhead looked over his paper at her, eyeing up the woman that stood before him quietly before coolly replying. "Maybe..." Feeling pleased that perhaps her suspicions were not unfounded, Emmy smiled as she said "I knew it! Would you care to tell me your name? I'm Emmy Altava, I work at the university.""Lando Ascad. University, you say? Do you mean Gressenheller?" Lando asked, folding his paper down and taking an interest in Emmy now that she'd gained his nodded. "Yes, I'm an assistant to one of the professors."All six foot of Lando then stood up after her reply and he offered his hand for her to shake. "One of my old friends works there. Please, sit down." he said, before looking over to the waiter and calling to him "Waiter! Come get this lady whatever she prefers to drink." Shaking his hand, Emmy took Lando up on his offer and sat down at the table with him. The waiter attended them and took her order of tea before skittering off again into the kitchen."Oh? Perhaps I know them. Who might they be?" Emmy asked. She knew most of the professors by first name now but there were still many people there she was yet to meet or converse with. Especially since we've recruited some new people recently. It's probably one of the new admins or one of the assistants he knows. "Professor Layton, he teaches archaeology. Or at least he does when he's not off on some adventure." Lando laughed. Emmy sat frozen for a moment as she heard Lando say his name. She didn't even register the waiter placing her tea on the table she was so lost in shock. "P...Professor Layton?" she stammered before shaking the lock of shock from her face and regaining her composure. "Do you know him?" The redhead enquired, raising an eyebrow. Even now I can't seem to escape him, she thought bitterly, cursing Layton in her mind before answering Lando's question. "I used to be his assistant until it was decided I would be better off working for the photography professor, Darcy, her name is."Emmy watched as Lando's handsome face frowned at her. "Did you two have a fight or something?" "I suppose you could say that..." she began, looking into her tea for a moment. A fight wasn't really what you would call it but the aftermath certainly made it feel like they had indeed fought. She thought about perhaps trying to change the subject before an idea sprang into her mind. "Tell me, Red. Do you have much time on your hands?" she said with a grin. "Do you mind if I call you that?" "I have all the time in the world, Miss," Lando laughed. "And no, not at all. Do you mind if I smoke?""Well no, but perhaps it would be better if we took a walk." she suggested. Emmy didn't really want to stay in the cafe any longer and it looked as if it would be closing soon. "If you'd care to join me? I will explain further."She watched as Lando called the waiter back over to get the bill and the two of them got up and left. Emmy had never been much of a smoker herself (only the odd one or two when she was immensely stressed). The smell of cigarette smoke however, was something she loved and now they were both outside, the wind blew the smell of tobacco towards her in a cloud of grey. Most people would have choked, but Emmy merely breathed it in and felt giddy. There was something about the way the smell of this tanned man's smoke intoxicated her. Emmy felt that it was almost attractive in a strange way and she wondered why a man like Lando would know Layton."May I ask how you know Layton?" Emmy asked, the two of them starting to walk together without any particular destination in mind. "We went to high school together, and he came to visit me recently. Perhaps you were the woman he was talking about..." Lando said thoughtfully, as if he was thinking back to the event. She gave a cold and bitter laugh as he said that and she shook her head gently. "You're mistaken. I promise you, Hershel only has room for one woman in his heart." Emmy said, remembering she had learnt that the hard way. "If you're sure…" Emmy ran a hand through her dark locks as they took a turning towards a park. She didn't want to talk about someone else when there was a perfectly handsome man right next to her. Emmy wondered if he perhaps lived in London or was here for work. "Tell me, Red, what brings you to London?"Lando took a deep drag before exhaling the smoke as he looked at Emmy. "I'm here on holiday." "Holiday? Seems strange to come alone." She frowned. London wasn't exactly a holidaying destination you'd go to by yourself. "It's just something we do, my wife and I each go away in turns for a bit sometimes to get a break." He said casually, as if going on separate holidays from your wife was the most normal thing in the world.. So he's a married man?, she thought, mulling over what he'd just told her. He wasn't wearing a wedding band and Emmy decided this meant he was fair game for her. Besides, after the week I've had, it's not going to stop me. "Well, as you're on holiday I imagine you're at a hotel right?" Emmy asked, looking around her to notice that they were near a park. "Yep." The younger woman smirked as a sudden idea came to her head. "Hey, Red, are you the sort of man who likes to place a bet?"Lando laughed in amusement and nodded. "Why, what are you thinking, Miss?" he asked as Emmy grabbed his hand and ran off with him, heading to an opening in the park where they wouldn't be seen. Stopping, she let go of Lando's hand and took a few steps back, turning to face him. "If I win, you have to come stay with me for the rest of your holiday" The man opposite her smirked, amused once again as he asked. "All right, I bet a quid. What's the challenge?"Emmy grinned wickedly as she got into a fighting stance. "A quid, hmm? Are you that confident that you'll win? I'm going to fight you. I shall be certain to go easy on you. Are you ready?" She was a highly skilled fighter and fearless when it came to the thick of it. Lando looked alarmed before shaking his head slowly and laughing "No, not really. I haven't been in a fight for years."She rolled her eyes and sighed. It seemed he was a lover, not a fighter. This still wasn't too much of a problem. "Well, I will be gentle, okay? GO!"Emmy's leg arched up beautifully, forming a perfect roundhouse kick that so narrowly missed Lando's face, he was glad that he didn't have his glasses on. Feeling no retaliation coming her way, she looked around to see the shocked expression on her opponent's face and laughed. "Perhaps it would be easier to say I have won this fight already. What do you say?" Lando nodded and smiled. "Yes, it's quite clear that you have." Well, at least he admitted it like a man, Emmy thought as she offered her hand to him. "Well, the night is getting on and as I won the bet, I think I shall be taking you home." she said. "I promise you it will be much nicer than a hotel." "I'm sure it will be." Lando smirked, taking her hand "Lead the way." Unlocking the door, Emmy stood aside to let Lando into her apartment. It was modern, yet cosy, with its warm yellow and white hues echoing through the main kitchen-diner and living room. A studio flat made to feel like a home. "Do come in. I gather you're a coffee drinker?" Emmy asked, taking her boots off. The tanned man laughed a little "Yes, black coffee please." he said and as Emmy set about making his drink, she was certain she could feel him looking at her, but decided to pay it no attention. "Nice place." he added."Well, you're in luck. It seems I have coffee..." Emmy said. She herself didn't drink the stuff, but she kept it for whenever she had guests. Though I've never had guests here, she thought to herself as she continued. "The red door is the spare room, and the other one's mine. They both have ensuites."Finishing the drinks, she brought them over to the coffee table and flopped backwards onto the plush white sofa. She wasn't rich so Emmy had saved up a long time for this luxury, so she always appreciated sitting on it at the end of the day. However tonight, she appreciated it even more as Lando joined her on the sofa and another idea came to mind. Let's see if you have any brains under that red hair of yours. "Seeing as I placed a rather interesting bet back in the park, I think it's your turn." Emmy grinned "Anything goes, or else it would be a rather boring evening, wouldn't it?" Lando seemed to think for a moment before a positively evil smirk graced his face. "I bet that you wouldn't have the guts to play strip poker. Though I don't know how to play poker itself, which is slightly annoying."Emmy looked at him, flushing pink at his suggestion. "Challenge accepted! Just dumb it down to snap. That's easy enough." "How much do you bet, Miss?" he asked as Emmy pulled a pack of cards out from under the coffee table, shuffling the deck as she looked back to him."Twenty quid!" she replied, handing him half the deck. "Let's see how this goes then!" Lando merely smirked "Twenty it is, then." as they started laying down cards, until... "SNAP!" Emmy said, winning with two queens. "You know the rules!" "Damn!" He said before laughing and pulling his jumper off, tossing it to the side before picking up the cards again. Once more, they set down one after the other until... "SNAP!" "Oh!" Emmy said in surprise. She was not expecting to lose, even once, and as she looked up, Lando had a smirk on his face. "Nicely done, Red." she sighed, taking her belt off and letting it drop to the floor, before doing her utmost to concentrate. I shan't lose again! With that, they set about continuing their game before... "SNAP!""Fuck!" Emmy cursed, blushing. It was not going the way she planned at all. She removed her black blouse, letting it fall where her belt lay before looking at Lando with a flushed but determined look. "I won't lose to you!" Lando merely folded his arms and laughed "We shall see, Miss." "Don't be so certain, Red!" she said as they carried on once again and she quickly won with a set of aces."SNAP!" "Dammit!" Lando said again. "What were you saying?" Emmy teased with a smirk, causing Lando to smile as he removed his shirt. Seeing his bare skin, tanned and toned made Emmy immediately divert her eyes back down to her cards Holy fuck! Concentrate on your cards! She thought. She composed herself and took a breath. "Ready?"Lando nodded with a smirk, but it was soon gone as Emmy won yet another round."Snap! Off it comes, Red! Seems you're losing! You'd better up your game!" She grinned, as she watched him take his shoes off before he picked his cards up once more. "Ready?" Emmy nodded and was feeling pretty smug with herself until Lando triumphed with two kings "SNAP!"Her eyes widened as the red head grinned at her. "You were saying, Miss?" "Yes, yes, don't rub it in." she sighed, standing up and blushing as she removed her leggings, leaving her in only her black lingerie as she sat back down again. Emmy noticed Lando was not looking out of respect although he still had a smirk on his face. "You're one to be acting the gentleman! This was your idea!" "Well, it wasvery unladylike of you to almost break my nose a few hours ago." "Oh come now, I was gentle with you…mostly." she pouted. "You only have to win the next round." he said, tilting his head as he looked at her for a moment. Even against his tanned skin there was a small tinge of red. "Then that is what I will do! Ready?" She said, once again determined to win. To her horror however, she found Lando had once again won the round. "...Snap." He smirked wickedly, before leaning back and lighting up and cigarette. "…bugger..." Emmy gawped; feeling slightly mortified before she swallowed her pride and took a breath. "I hope you're sharing those because I'm going to need one after this." she said, putting an arm over her bust as she undid her bra and removed it. "May I have one please?" she over his eyes, he blindly passed her a cigarette and a lighter as Emmy leant down and pulled his jumper over her head. Taking them, she lit the cigarette and took a deep drag as she looked at him. His cheeks were fairly red now and she smirked a little as she pulled his hand down. "Seems I owe you twenty pounds, handsome." "Mm." He nodded, still red in the face. "Don't tell me you've gone all shy?" Emmy purred, exhaling her smoke as she leant forward and prodded Lando on his chest. He raised a hand up to her and looked at her "I'm just respecting your privacy(!)"Emmy raised an eyebrow "Aren't you the one who challenged me to a strip game? It's hardly private now, is it?" He tilted his head thoughtfully at her remark. "Point taken." and lowered his hand. "I certainly didn't respect your privacy" she smirked. "The wonderful thing about a cigarette is it tastes so nice because you shouldn't really be smoking it. And that's exactly why it's addictive" Lando looked at her. "Yes, I guess that's a good way of putting it." he said, before he looked around and asked "Do you have an ashtray?" "Well, as I'm technically not a smoker, no. Hmm.." Emmy replied, looking around too until she found an empty cup and passed it to him. "Use this for now. So, did you enjoy our game?" she asked. At least he's not put his clothes back on, I'd rather keep it that way for the moment. Emmy thought to herself."Yes, I enjoyed it...very much." Lando smirked once more "Did you?""Well... Perhaps we can see what else you like, no?" Emmy said before leaning forward and placing a kiss on Lando's neck, nipping the skin a little as she pulled back and saw his face tinge slightly red. "I'm a married man, Miss." he said coldly as the feisty brunette smirked at him."Why, did you like it?" She said as he exhaled."Maybe." "Well, be that as it may, Red, it's late. I'm borrowing this jumper. You know where the spare room is." she grinned as she got up and walked towards her door. "Goodnight, Red"She blew him a kiss before slinking into her bedroom and closing the door for the night. Peeling away the jumper, she put it in a drawer with a lock on it before falling back on her bed. "You shan't be getting that back..." she smiled to herself before resting her head on her pillow Mmm... Just you wait and see what I have planned for you in the morning, Red... Category:Fan Fictions Category:Romance Stories Category:Angst Stories Category:PG-15 Stories Category:Chrononaut's Stories